Peter Pan - Return to Neverland

Almost 50 years after Walt Disney brought James M. Barrie's classic children's tale Peter Pan to the screen in one of the best-loved animated features, the studio that bears his name revisits the story of the magical boy who doesn't grow up in this sequel. In London during World War II, Wendy (voice of Kath Soucie) comforts her children with stories about her/i>

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Overview

Almost 50 years after Walt Disney brought James M. Barrie's classic children's tale Peter Pan to the screen in one of the best-loved animated features, the studio that bears his name revisits the story of the magical boy who doesn't grow up in this sequel. In London during World War II, Wendy (voice of Kath Soucie) comforts her children with stories about her youthful adventures with Peter Pan (voice of Blayne Weaver) in the fantastic world of Neverland. Young Danny (voice of Andrew McDonough) loves the stories and believes that they're real, but his older sister, Jane (voice of Harriet Owen), isn't so certain. Jane soon discovers her mother is indeed telling the truth when she's kidnapped by the evil Captain Hook (voice of Corey Burton) and spirited away to his lair in Neverland. Hook is still trying to capture his nemesis, Peter Pan, after all these years, and is certain he'll come to the rescue of his old friend, Wendy; however, Hook realizes too late that he's carried away Wendy's daughter instead. Peter comes to the aid of young Jane, but as they do battle with Hook, he realizes it will take some work before Jane will fit in with the Lost Boys. Return to Neverland includes original songs from Jonatha Brooke and They Might Be Giants.

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Donald Liebenson

This enchanting sequel to Disney's 1953 animated feature sparkles with "faith, trust, and pixie dust." Eternally youthful Peter Pan remains a plucky, impudent rascal, Captain Hook's still "brazen and bold," and Tinker Bell is, if possible, even more fetching. Wendy, now a wife and mother, regales her children, Jane and Danny, with tales of Pan, Hook, and the Lost Boys. But the world is at war, and Wendy's husband has been called into service, so Jane and Danny are to be sent along with the rest of England's children to safe haven in the country. In Jane's disillusioned eyes, tales of Peter are now "poppycock," as she declares that story time is over. But hers is just beginning. On the night before her evacuation, a titanic pirate ship (a nifty bit of computer animation) descends from the clouds, and whom should Jane find in her room but Hook himself! Thinking that she is Wendy, he carries her off to Never Land as bait to catch Peter once and for all. Never Land is a welcome return to J. M. Barrie's timeless story. While the animation does not soar to the heights of the original film, wondrous sequences dazzle the eye. A climactic reunion between Peter and the grown-up Wendy is moving, and Jane is a spirited addition to Disney's gallery of self-reliant heroines. This film really takes off when Never Land works its magic on the doubtful Jane, such as when she takes her first flight -- a true treat for second-generation Pan fans.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler

Peter Pan is a film that doesn't really require a sequel, which fact harms Return to Neverland. Clearly, the impetus behind the film's creation was monetary rather than artistic. That said, Return is not a bad film, but it is in no way an A-level effort from the Disney studios. The vocal talent is not to blame: Blayne Weaver and Corey Burton do an admirable job of imitating the original Bobby Driscoll and Hans Conried without being slavish, and Harriet Owen plays Jane with appropriate fire and gusto. The animation is more than acceptable, but also a bit mechanical. It's smooth and professional but lacks real spark. The larger problem is with the script and direction, both of which are too artificial, as if the directors and writers put their minds but not their hearts into the project. And attempts to subtly modernize the story -- from Jane's occasional too-contemporary reactions and phrases to the "cartoonification" of the Lost Boys to the unmemorable song contributed by Jonatha Brooke -- are annoying. Still, there's enough here to entertain the children at whom it is squarely aimed, as well as adults who are willing to let things slide for another trip with the boy who wouldn't grow up.